Wheeled boards such as a skateboard are widely used for recreation and transportation. While a skateboard user may often desire to slow down or stop the skateboard, conventional skateboards do not have any braking apparatus. A user would brake by lowering one foot to the ground or would tilt the entire skateboard to cause a portion of the skateboard to scrape the pavement. Both methods require a certain amount of skill and experience. The scraping method also causes damage to the skateboard. Such rigorous movements are especially undesirable when the skateboard is used as a means of transportation.
Various attempts have been made to devise a brake to assist the slowing down or stopping of a skateboard. One type of brakes is the wheel brake, in which the brake system reduces the rotational speed of the wheel. However, skidding is a common problem with a wheel brake, and the wheel brake also considerably increases the rate of wear on the wheels. Another brake is the of friction brake in which a braking device is lowered to contact the pavement to create friction between the braking device and the pavement. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,167,225, 6,035,976, 4,168,076, 4,043,566, 4,054,296, 4,088,334, and 4,099,734 each disclose an apparatus for braking a skateboard friction. However, the known friction brakes generally require the user to lift up one foot or otherwise significantly shift his balance to engage the brake. The maneuver can cause the user to loose balance. Therefore, existing braking devices for skateboarding have been unsatisfactory.